With Man United’s Paul Pogba suspended, which FPL midfielder will you look to recruit?

With just over 72 hours separating the start of Gameweek 16 and 17, we’ve decided to batch our selections in to one video, covering the next two upcoming gameweeks.

As Manchester United will now lose Paul Pogba for 3 games due to his challenge on Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin, many Fantasy Premier League bosses will find themselves with a hole in their midfielders to fill.

To accommodate the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, you may need a cheap yet efficient 3rd striker or 4th defender, so with that in mind, here are our Gameweek 16 and 17 Players to Watch for your consideration.

As always, we invite you to read the article and then check out the Gameweek 16 YouTube video above for all the stats and glossy graphics which help support our selections this week.

Please subscribe to our FPLTips YouTube channel for even more Fantasy Premier League tips, news and insight, each and every FPL gameweek, straight to your desktop or mobile device.

Charlie Austin vs. Arsenal (H) & Leicester (H)

After being awarded his first start of the season against Everton in Gameweek 13, the 28-year-old forward took his chance and led Southampton to a 4-1 win, scoring a brace.

His goal against Bournemouth last weekend sealed a draw Mauricio Pellegrino’s men and saw Austin become Southampton’s top goalscorer in the Premier League this season, with a tally of 4 goals; 3 of which have come during the last 3 Gameweeks.

No Premier League player has scored more goals than Austin during that period and the Southampton forward’s tally of 8 shots from inside the box, in the last 3 Gameweeks, can be bettered only by Alvaro Morata (10) and Alexandre Lacazette (10).

Southampton have struggled for goals at times this season and their tally of 9 goals during the first 11 Gameweeks of the season saw them ranked joint 15th amongst Premier League teams.

However, Austin’s return has seen an improvement on that front, with Southampton scoring 6 goals during the last 4 Gameweeks; ranking them joint 8th in the Premier League.

In Gameweek 16, they’ll host an Arsenal side that have struggled against Saints in recent years. Southampton have lost just 1 of their last 6 Premier League meetings with Arsenal at St. Mary’s.

Following that, a home fixture against Leicester awaits them in Gameweek 17. They’ve kept just 1 clean sheet away from home this season, conceding a total of 11 goals, which ranks them 12th amongst Premier League teams.

Aaron Ramsey vs. S’hampton (A) & West Ham (A)

After Paul Pogba picked up a 3-match suspension against The Gunners last weekend, the in-form Arsenal midfielder comes into our thinking as a potential replacement.

Ramsey provided the assist for Lacazette’s consolation goal against Man Utd and he’s now been directly involved in 11 Premier League goals; scoring 3 times himself and providing an impressive tally of 8 assists.

The Welsh international has produced a tally of 14 shots on target this season, ranking him 6th amongst midfielders, behind only Eriksen (15), Hazard (17), Sanchez (17), De Bruyne (18) and Salah (31).

No player has produced more than Ramsey’s 4 big chances created over the last 4 Gameweeks.

Arsenal are away from home over the next 2 Gameweeks, but face somewhat favourable fixtures against Southampton and West Ham.

Saints have kept just 1 clean sheet from their last 10 league matches, conceding 14 goals over that period, which ranks them 12th amongst Premier League teams.

West Ham were unlucky to be beaten by Man City last weekend but only Newcastle (12) and Huddersfield (13) have conceded more goals than The Hammers (9), during the last 4 Gameweeks.

Philippe Coutinho vs. Everton (H) & West Brom (H)

The Brazilian magician exploded back onto the radar after his 18-point haul against Brighton last weekend, where he provided 1 goal and 3 assists during Liverpool’s 5-1 away win.

Coutinho has been directly involved in 9 Premier League goals this season; with 6 FPL involvements during his last 4 appearances, in the form of 2 goals and 4 assists.

Whilst the Liverpool midfielder has missed a lot of games due to either injury or rest, his average of 2.8 attempted assists per game can be beaten only by De Bruyne (3.1), Fabregas (3.2) and Özil (3.6).

Similarly, Coutinho has registered an average of 1.1 shots on target per game; only De Bruyne (1.2), Hazard (1.4), Sanchez (1.5) and Salah (2.1) have taken more on average, amongst midfielders.

Liverpool have scored an impressive tally of 12 goals over the last 4 Gameweeks, which is level with Manchester United; no Premier League team have scored more.

Over the next 2 Gameweeks, they’ll welcome Everton and West Brom to Anfield.

Everton have conceded 6 times over the last 4 Gameweeks and only 4 teams have conceded more big chances over that period. They may be steadily improving under Big Sam’s management but he hasn’t had an awful lot of time to integrate his plans.

West Brom kept their first clean sheet in 10 league games, with their 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace last weekend but only 5 teams have conceded more goals than The Baggies, during the last 4 Gameweeks.

Mamadou Sakho vs. B’mouth (H) & Watford (H)

After their poor start to the season, Crystal Palace have now kept back-to-back clean sheets, against West Brom and Brighton.

They’ve conceded just 3 times over the last 4 Gameweeks; only Chelsea (2) and Liverpool (2) have shipped fewer goals over that period.

Sakho tends to perform well in the BPS (bonus points system) and he’s picked up a total of 10 so far this season, which is by far better than any of his team-mates. During the 2 recent clean sheets, Sakho picked up 5 out of a possible 6 bonus points.

Over the next 2 Gameweeks, Roy Hodgson’s side will host Bournemouth and Watford.

Eddie Howe’s side have scored just 4 times on the road this season; only Huddersfield (3) and Crystal Palace (0) have scored fewer away goals.

Watford meanwhile have been more impressive away from home, with 15 goals scored in away games so far but the defensive form of Crystal Palace will give a big test for Marco Silva’s men.

BEFORE YOU GO: Join The Pundits staff in Gameweek 16 for a game of Starting 11 this Saturday and Sunday for some LIVE, daily fantasy football action. Keep your eyes peeled for some cool prizes and follow the download links below for iOS and Android to get involved.